For most people, music is an escape. I am constantly listening to music and always on the hunt for new music. Like everything else in my life, I have a pretty wide range of music that I like to listen to. From Beyonce to Panic! At the Disco to Cole Swindell I listen to almost anything and everything. Below I have listed my Top Music Picks for January and February.

January:

anything by the Weeknd

“Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran

“Caroline by Anime

“Perm” by Bruno Mars

“OOOUUU” by Young M.a

February:

“Far Too Young to Die” by Panic! At The Disco

“No One’s Here to Sleep” by Naughty Boy

“Location” by Khalid

“Electric Love” by BORNS

“How Would You Feel (Paean)” by Ed Sheeran

“Tough Guys” by Caroline Jones

“Chained to the Rythm” by Katy Perry

“I Can” by NAS

I know there are a lot fewer songs for January than February but I listened to the Weeknd basically every day and occasionally listened to the other songs on that list. I’m going through an indie phase right now so that’s why there are so many indie songs.

I was going to post another makeup review today but I need more time with some of the products. I’ll have one up before my prom I promise!

“So comfortable we’re living in a bubble, so comfortable we cannot see the trouble” – Chained to the Rhythm by Katy Perry

“If the truth is told, the youth can grow then learn to survive until they gain control”- I Can by NAS

We live in a society, where people want to question social norms and how the world works but don’t. I’m here to tell you, if you feel that something in society doesn’t add up, question it.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot, it’s something that gets me really upset being a future journalist. Even though I don’t always verbally question what is happening, I always question things mentally. For example-

“Why is he/she wearing that color when he/she looks better in _______?”

“What made China cut off coal imports to North Korea?”

“Why is there an emphasis on standardize testing rather than trying to educate people for the sake of knowledge?”

“What would happen if I layered these three eye shadows together?”

“How many outfits can I make out of this one shirt?”

“What will happen to our economy if Trump builds a wall and trade with Mexico and South America ceases?”

There are so many things to question in society that many people don’t question. We live in a world where information is literally in the palm of your hand. Educate yourself! Learn about the past, learn about what is going on in your world! There is no shame in being informed about your world and your surroundings. What happened in the past is still relevant today. What happened in the past, shapes our current lives. So why allow things to happen if they can be prevented? Why are people so afraid to question the way things are? What we do today shapes our tomorrow. Our actions don’t just affect our lifetime, they will affect the lifetimes of our grandchildren and great grandchildren and generations after that.

I’ve been home a lot this week from the weather here in New England and all I’ve done is been on my phone. I’m constantly on Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr etc. Since when did my phone and social media account become so important to me and take over my life? The simple answer, when society said that it was more important to be on my phone/social media than to actually experience life.

So yesterday, I tried an experiment. How much could I accomplish when I only went on social media once every 3 hours… my results turned out pretty spectacular.

Yesterday I was able to:

journal

complete homework

clean my bathroom

clean out my closet

write this blog post

enjoy dinner with my family

read

go outside in the snow with my dog

do some yoga with my mom

relax and rejuvenate my skin/hair

In other words, I was really productive! Instead of looking relentlessly at a screen filled with people’s “perfect lives”, I was able to get some things done to improve my life. Yes, it’s hard not to go on Instagram and Twitter every 5 minutes, but why be a slug, when you can get stuff done!

I hope this was helpful and will inspire you to get off your phone and go to do more of which makes you happy!

Part of my New Years Resolution is to be a better me. I don’t want to change myself for others or to make others like me, I’m doing this for me. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately and how important it is to make yourself happy in your own skin. You come into this world as your pure self and as you get older, you begin to lose yourself in the stereotypes, trends and what you’re told to be. I’m going to go back to that; my true self through being unapologetically me. Here’s some info if you think you need a change too.What does this mean? Honestly, it can mean whatever you want, it’s your own definition. Whatever makes you happy, makes you love life, and what makes you,you. It’s ultimately living life in a way that makes you happy.

Well, how do I know what makes me, me? What makes you, you is the way you smile at a joke that your dad tells, the books you read, the music you listen to, how you hold yourself. You are you and you have to decide yourself what will make you unapologetically you.

Does this mean that you can’t help others? Hell no! We need to be there for each other! In this world that we live in, being there for others and helping those in need is so important. It can ultimately help you shape the “unapologetically me” you.

I’m using this motto to make myself happy and to become the best version of me. I don’t want to let people walk all over me, I want to do yoga, I want to help people in need, I want to do makeup and be involved in the beauty/fashion industry. And I’m not letting anyone stop me.
Good luck beauty babes.

Happy Friday! As promised, today I want to talk about why I want to go minimal and start to live the minimalist lifestyle. It’s something that I’ve been thinking about for a long time and it’s starting to come about a lot more on my social media accounts. To me minimalism is less about getting a lot of things and more about bringing in the calm, simplistic lifestyle into my life to bring a little more zen into my life.

As you may or may not know from my New Year’s Resolution post that I want to redo my room. I’m planning on painting my walls white with a gray accent wall with very simple decorations that keep my room clean and a stress free zone. I find that more and more, I’ve been decluttering my room in order to keep a clean state of mind. I find joy in cleaning out my room and donating the things that I don’t want anymore so I can keep my space clean. I’ve donated a lot of clothes over the past few months and have donated 3-4 pairs of shoes and I can honestly say that I feel better. I feel less stressed and more confident in myself.

When I redo my room, the theme is obviously going to be minimal. Not many pictures, a few plants scattered around to bring some color into the room without making my room loud. I plan on getting a cactus and maybe some fake plants so I don’t have to worry about making sure they live. I want to change the environment I live in and give myself an even fresher start to the year.

I know this was a short post but I don’t have much else to say! I hope you have a great rest if your day and I’ll talk to you all in next weeks post!
Love Always,

I’m so excited for this post today! It’s going to be a relatively quick post but I wanted to have something up for all of you. Today, I’m going to list some products that I want to try and will try soon for reviews and for a prom tutorial! Those posts will come up around mid to late February! Here are some of the products that I’m going to try out!

Marc Jacobs Re(marc)able Foundation

Benefit Hoola Bronzer

Maybelline New York Eye Studio Master Precise Liquid Eyeliner

Tarteist Pro Amazonian Clay Pallet

Tarte Shape Tape Concealer

Coty Airspun Translucent Powder

I know there isn’t a lot of drug store products but I want to look as flawless as I possibly can for prom and I feel that these products will do the trick!

It’s Friday! Today I have another review for you! It’s been a while since I posted one of these so I figured I would do another review! I only have 4 products to review today, so this post is going to be a little short! Now to the products!

Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit: I honestly don’t have enough good things to say about this product. The glow I get from it is INCREDIBLE! It has insanely gorgeous pigments that give such an insanely beautiful highlight. It doesn’t make my skin look bumpy or like it has any texture. I especially love it in the inner corner for a highlight. I have the Gleam kit that has Moonshine, Summer, Tormaline and Bronzed. I’ve only used Moonshine and Summer so far but they are absolutely incredible. I’m a little nervous to put Bronzed and Tormaline on because they’re darker highlights but maybe over the summer I can use them… Maybe I’ll try them in a few months for a tutorial! ﻿

Cost- $40 for four colors

Overall rate 10/10

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara- I’m a mascara girl. I love huge, thick, long lashes that are darker than night. This mascara is absolutely stunning. It doesn’t clump and it gives me the thickest, longest, darkest lashes ever. I love layering this with my Covergirl Supersizer mascara- it gives me the most gorgeous look. I only do that for special events though. For everyday, I only use one or the other. I got the waterproof one and it works. I’ve purposefully made myself cry to see how waterproof this mascara really is. It’s pretty incredible. I love the wand too! The bristles really get the enlongated, full lashes I’ve been looking for. I’m going to get the original one that’s not water proof soon just to see if there’s a difference!

Price- $23 at Sephora

Overall rate- 10/10

Andrea’s Skin Care Lipstick in – Okay so this is a product that you can only buy at the place that I get my eyebrows waxed at so I feel horrible that not many people can get this product. I’m usually just a chapstick type of girl or maybe a light color lipstick. This is a very natural, beautifully formulated, pinky nude that fits my lip color perfectly. It’s very creamy and hydrating and it’s a really pretty product. The only thing about this product is it feels a little heavy on the lips and it comes off very easily, I have to reapply often. I think if I added a lip liner though, it will last longer!

Cost- $18.50

Rate- 9/10

Sonia Kashuk Holiday Brush Kit Holiday Edition- Okay these brushes are so insane! They’re black, white and rose gold, they have a huge snake on each brush, they’re just incredible. I love the countouring brush for when I apply my foundation. It applies the product evenly and it builds up the coverage of the foundation or tinted moisturizer and leaves you with a flawless look. The eye brushes are also beautiful and really buff and blend your eye shadows really well and evenly. My only wish is that it had a fan brush. I could really use it for my highlight. Other than that, it’s an amazing value for money: $40 for 10 brushes! That’s cheaper than ELF and they’re a much better quality. I’m very impressed and I definitely will buy more products from her line.

Cost- $40

Overall rate-9/10

I hope you all enjoyed the post! Have a wonderful week and I’ll see you next Friday!